Cleveland Guardians vs. Houston Astros May 24 Betting Preview

Tuesday night will feature the second of a three-game series between the Cleveland Guardians (18-20) and the Houston Astros (27-16). The Astros will host this one at Minute Maid Park with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 p.m.

The Guardians were able to steal the first game on the road 6-1. Triston McKenzie was brilliant, going seven innings, allowing one run on three hits and striking out three.

Jose Ramirez had the big night offensively going two for five with a double, home run, and four runs batted in. Catcher Luke Maile also had a nice night going three for three with three runs scored.

Houston’s bats were pretty quiet throughout the night with the lone exception being a solo home run by Alex Bregman in the seventh inning.

Betting Odds

The Astros are the favorites playing at home on Monday. They are -205 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +172. The runline features Cleveland +1.5, and the over/under for total runs is eight.

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Pitching Matchup

Originally it was thought that Zach Plesac would go on Monday night, but he was pushed back a night and will now pitch Tuesday. On the season, he is 1-3 with a 4.42 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and has struck out 23 in 38.2 innings.

Houston will send southpaw Framber Valdez to the mound to battle Plesac. This season, Valdez is 3-2 with a 2.68 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and has 39 strikeouts in 47 innings.

By The Numbers

In the power department, the Astros hold the edge offensively. They rank third in home runs with 58 on the season. The Guardians rank 21st

On the mound, it is again Houston with the edge. In terms of staff earned run average, the Astros rank second in the majors with a 2.85 ERA. The Guardians rank 18th with a 3.90 ERA.

Guardians Trying To Pick Up Road Series Win

The old school of thought is to win your home series and split on the road. After taking the first game, the Guardians would love to secure a series win Tuesday with a chance at a sweep on Wednesday.

As the star of the game Monday, third baseman Jose Ramirez continues to rake for Cleveland. He is now hitting .287/.383/.601 with 10 home runs, 41 runs batted in, 23 runs scored and four stolen bases. He either leads or is tied for the lead in all four of those categories.

Against Framber Valdez, Ramirez is two for five against him in his career. The only other player with a hit off of the lefty is Yu Chang, who is one for two.

Houston Trying To Bounce Back From Opening Loss

Currently 12-6 at Minute Maid Park, the Astros have played well in Houston. After getting shut down on Monday, though, they will look to regroup going into Game 2.

The Astros were happy to see Alex Bregman get a big hit Monday. He has been scuffling as of late and is now hitting .229/.349/.424 on the season with six home runs and 24 runs batted in.

One player who has been red hot over the last week has been Jose Altuve. In that span he is hitting .360/.360/.800 with two home runs. While Kyle Tucker is hitting just .208 in the last week, he has also added two home runs and seven runs batted in.

Plesac Trying To Follow McKenzie’s Formula

After containing the Astros offense for seven innings on Monday, it was evident that Triston McKenzie had found a formula to keep the Astros’ offense in check. On Tuesday, Zach Plesac will try to follow suit for the Guardians.

It won’t be easy for Cleveland as Framber Valdez has had a nice start to the season this year, but the Guardians were able to put together nice at bats against Luis Garcia Monday and will try to do the same to Valdez Tuesday.

The Astros have been one of the best teams in the American League early on, but the Guardians proved in Game 1 of the series that they are up to the task and have a chance to steal the first two on the road Tuesday night.